Villanova's McCurry likes the position he's in

Cameron McCurry, right, enjoys the hybrid safety position the Villanova defense employs because he gets to defend against the run and the pass. The Wildcats face Maine in a crucial CAA contest Saturday. (Courtesy Villanova University)

Villanova’s John Robertson leads the conference in total offense (290.7 yards per game) and completion percentage (73.2) and is second in rushing (121.3), scoring (9.4 ppg.) and touchdowns (11). He has put up video game numbers in the last two weeks. He has completed 32 of 35 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Robertson also has carried the ball 59 times for 406 yards and six touchdowns.

Maine’s Marcus Wasilewski is second in the CAA in total offense (290.6) and passing touchdowns (14) and third in passing yards (1,726) and passing yards per game (246.6).

The difference could be defense. The Wildcats are last in the CAA in passing defense (259.1 ypg) while the Black Bears have the third-best passing offense in the league (251.6). If Villanova can’t keep Wasilewski in check, it could be a long afternoon for the Wildcats.

Cheyney at No. 6/7 Bloomsburg

2 p.m. Saturday

The easy part of Cheyney’s schedule is over. Now comes the hard part for the Wolves (0-7, 0-4). They close out the season with the top three teams in the PSAC East, Bloomsburg, No. 13/17 West Chester and Shippensburg. Those three teams are a combined 12-0 in the conference.

Linebacker Isaiah Fleming has been a beast for the Wolves. He leads the PSAC in tackles (78 total, 56 solo) and was the PSAC East and D2football.com national Player of the Week after a 21-tackle effort in a 25-19 loss to Kutztown.

Danny Hale may have retired as the head coach, but the Huskies are still among the elite programs in Division II. Running back Franklyn Quinteh leads Division II in rushing yards (1,406), rushing yards per game (200.9) and scoring (17 ppg.).

FDU-Florham at Widener

1 p.m. Saturday

Every game is a must-win game if the Pride have any hope of winning the MAC title and making the Division III playoffs. Widener is in a four-way tie for first place with Lebanon Valley, Delaware Valley and Lycoming so it can’t afford to slip up now.

Quarterback Seth Klein continues to put up in impressive numbers. The freshman from Wilson (West Lawn) is first in the MAC and second in Division III in completion percentage (76.4). Only Spencer Stanek of Division III North Central (Ill.) has a higher completion percentage (76.9) in college football, regardless of division.

Widener leads the series, 15-2, and has won the last 14 meetings, but the Devils (1-5, 0-5) are no pushover. Florham gave Del Val all it could handle before the Aggies were able to pull out a 45-30 victory.

Williamson at Valley Forge MC

1 p.m. Saturday

No rest for the struggling Mechanics (1-5 overall, 0-2 Seaboard Conference), who close out the season against a 5-1 VFMC team whose only loss was to West Point Prep.

Williamson has been outscored 183-15 in its last three games. Valley Forge has an 18-2 lead in the series. That includes a 33-0 triumph over the Mechanics last season.

— TERRY TOOHEY

RADNOR — Cameron McCurry is a complex and multi-talented young man.

The sophomore from Villanova is a Floridian who snowboards, but doesn’t surf, yet is still adjusting to the change of seasons in the Northeast.

As a high school player, McCurry was a two-sport standout at Fleming Island High School in Orange Park, Fla., but in two sports that would not be possible here in the Northeast. He earned four letters in football and three in soccer.

How is that possible? Well, they play soccer in the winter in Florida. So, in the fall, McCurry was a linebacker and kicker, as a sophomore and junior, for a Golden Eagles team that was good enough to reach the Florida Class 7A regional final as a junior and regional semis as a senior. In the winter, McCurry was good enough to score the winning goal on a header as Fleming Island defeated Seminole to win the Class 4A state title.

The reason he only had three varsity letters in soccer is because he played basketball as a freshman.

These days, though, McCurry is an old-fashioned, hard-hitting, playmaking safety, something you would not surmise at first glance.

Talley hopes that McCurry and all the 18th-ranked Wildcats are at their best this weekend. Their CAA championship aspirations and, possibly their playoff hopes, depend on it.

Villanova hosts surprising Maine (6-1, 3-0), which is ranked 11th and alone in first place in the CAA, something none of the coaches expected at the beginning of the season. The Black Bears were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll of the league coaches.

Oh well, so much for preseason predictions.

Schools usually schedule a patsy for homecoming. Villanova did not.

Maine’s only loss is a 35-21 setback to Northwestern. Yes, that Northwestern, from the Big Ten. The Black Bears beat Massachusetts, which just moved up to the FCS, bludgeoned Delaware, 62-28, and dominated a William & Mary team (34-20) that Villanova needed a last-second score to beat.

“It’s a must-win game for us,” said McCurry, who scored the winning goal as Fleming Island beat Seminole in double overtime, 2-1, to win the 2012 Florida Class 4A state title in soccer. “If we want to achieve our goal of winning the CAA championship, we have to win this game. We feel we should have won the UNH game, but we have to move on and get this win.”

Ah yes, UNH. Villanova rallied from a 21-14 deficit for a 28-21 lead, only to lose on a touchdown with 13.8 seconds left in the game. It was a disappointing loss that came on the heels of a 45-35 triumph over then No. 3 Towson. The setback also put the Wildcats in a position where they can’t afford any more losses if they want to win the league title and make a return trip to the FCS playoffs.

But the Wildcats have been down this road before and not that long ago. Villanova bounced back from a 0-2 start with four straight wins before falling to UNH last week.

“We’re pretty good at putting things behind us and moving on,” McCurry said. “It’s something the coaching staff emphasizes all the time, and not just from game-to-game, but play-to-play. You have to have a short memory. If you mess up on one play you have to put it behind you and play the next snap. That translates into the next game.”

And so the New Hampshire game is history. The focus is all on Maine and McCurry is looking forward to the challenge. It is a chance to remind everyone why the coaches picked Villanova as the team to beat.

As for McCurry, he has found a home at Villanova. He had recruiting interest from several Ivy League schools. He also had a scholarship offer from Wofford, but the coaches there wanted him to add 30 pounds to his 5-11, 200-pound frame and play linebacker, his position in high school.

McCurry was intrigued by Villanova’s hybrid safety position, which is a cross between a linebacker and safety. He felt it was a position that fit his skill set. He was right. McCurry is fourth on the team in tackles and leads the team with four interceptions. He also had recovered a fumbles and blocked a kick.

“I play more toward the line of scrimmage instead of 10 yards off the ball,” McCurry said. “In this defense, I have more run fits, which are kind of second nature for more.”

And what about dropping into pass coverage?

“That was the hard part,” McCurry said. “It was difficult at first, but I’m getting more comfortable with it.”

As for the adjusting to the changing seasons here in the Northeast, that will take a little more time.